1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improved signal determination in nuclear magnetic resonance well logging. More specifically, the invention is a method directed towards eliminating spurious effects of magneto-acoustic ringing from obtained resonance signals.
2. Description of the Related Art
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR instruments have been adapted for use in wellbores drilled through earth formations. Generally speaking, NMR instruments used for analyzing earth formations include a magnet for inducing a static magnetic field in the earth formations to be evaluated, an antenna placed proximate to the formations to be analyzed, and circuitry adapted to conduct radio-frequency (RF) power pulses through the antenna to induce an RF magnetic fields in the same formations. The circuitry also includes a receiver adapted to detect signals induced in the antenna (or a separate receiving antenna). The induced signals are related to NMR phenomena induced in the formation of interest by the combined action of the static magnetic field and the RF magnetic field.
Typically, measurement of NMR related phenomena in the earth formation is performed by introducing a static magnetic field B0 and allowing some time for the static magnetic field to polarize nuclear spins in the formation in a direction substantially along the direction of the static magnetic field. Bb may be produced by one or more permanent magnet or electromagnets. An oscillating magnetic field B1 may be produced by one or more RF antennas to excite and detect nuclear magnetic resonance. A typical sequence of RF pulses is known as the Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) sequence. The first RF pulse of this sequence is known as the excitation pulse has a magnitude and duration selected to reorient the nuclear magnetization by about 90 degrees from its previous orientation. After a selected time, successive RF pulses, known as refocusing pulses, are passed through the antenna. Each of these pulses typically has a magnitude and duration selected to reorient the nuclear spin axes by about 180 degrees from their immediately previous orientations. Each refocusing pulse enables the nuclear spin axes to “rephase” or realign with each other. After application of an RF pulse, the magnetization begins to precess around B0 and produces a detectable signal in the antenna. The induced signals, known as “spin echoes”, are generally measured during the time interval between each successive refocusing pulse. The amplitude of the spin echo signals, and the rate at which the spin echo amplitudes change during a measurement sequence, are related to properties of interest of the earth formations, such as fractional volume of pore space (porosity) and the properties of fluids present in the pore spaces. The frequency of the RF magnetic field needed to reorient the nuclear magnetization, is equal to the Larmor frequency a ω0=γB0 where γ is the gyromagnetic ratio. For evaluation of earth formations, the static magnetic field amplitude and RF magnetic field frequency are typically selected to excite NMR phenomena in hydrogen nuclei, although other nuclei may be used for NMR evaluation of earth formations.
Exciting the antenna with RF power pulses in the presence of a strong static magnetic field causes mechanical excitation of the antenna. Mechanical excitation of the antenna leads to excitation of a signal, called “ringing”, in the antenna. This phenomenon can be explained as follows: The RF magnetic field induces eddy currents within the skin depth of the metal. In the presence of a static magnetic field, the electrons experience a Lorentz force. This same force affects the lattice as well, causing the acoustic waves. As discussed in Buess et al. (see M. L. Buess and G. L. Petson. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 49(8), 1978.), the ionic displacement is proportional to the strength of the RF magnetic field at the surface of the metal. A reciprocal mechanism converts acoustic waves into oscillating RF magnetic fields, which thereby induces voltage in the NMR receiver coil.
Another source of the magneto-acoustic ringing is generation of ultrasonic waves in non-conductive magnetic materials via the process of magneto-striction. The non-conductive magnetic material, typically ferrite, can be used as a permanent magnet, as discuss in Taicher '713 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,710,713). Alternatively, the magnetic material can be used as the antenna core, as discussed in Taicher '979 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,979) and Kleinberg '787 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,055,787). In these uses also, the inverse effect causes the magnetization oscillations to induce voltage in the NMR receiver. The effect is also linearly proportional with respect to the RF magnetic: field at the surface of the magnetic material.
The ringing is unrelated to NMR phenomena, and frequently has a very large amplitude. The amplitude of the ringing is often highest right after application of each RF pulse, and is of such a magnitude as to make it difficult to measure the amplitude of induced NMR signals. Reducing the effect, of ringing on NMR measurement is very important in well logging applications, among others, because significant information about the properties of the earth formations are determined by the amplitudes of spin echoes occurring shortly after the RF pulses.
Several methods are known in the art for reducing ringing. One device for reducing ringing is to have the magnet arranged so as to dispose the antenna in a region having substantially zero static magnetic field amplitude. An NMR apparatus which has this arrangement is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,712,566 issued to Taicher. Yet another device for reducing ringing is to provide separate antennas for inducing the RF magnetic field and detecting the NMR induced signals, where these two antennas are substantially orthogonal to each other. Ringing induced in the transmitting antenna is substantially undetected by the receiving antenna. See for example, the Taicher '566 patent referred to previously.
A standard technique for suppressing the magneto-acoustic ringing due to an applied CPMG sequence includes repeating the measurement with the RF phase of the excitation pulse inverted. Thus the NMR pulse sequence is implemented in the form of phase alternated pairs (PAPs):
where TW is the wait time, 90±x is the excitation pulse with RF carrier phase alternated, By is the refocusing pulse, tcp=TE/2 is half of the echo spacing (TE). As a result of this alternation, the NMR signal inverts the phase of the echoes but leaves unaffected the ringing signal. As a preferred option of operation, the refocusing pulse By is a 180° pulse. The ringing signal can be eliminated from a pair of phase alternated CPMG sequences by subtracting the echo signal generated by one CPMG sequence from the echo signal generated by another CPMG sequence within the alternated pair. The subtractions eliminates ringing caused by the refocusing pulses and also eliminates a DC offset of the receiver.
One shortcoming of the PAP approach is that it does not eliminate ringing due to the excitation pulse. Since the ringing signal due to the excitation pulse inverts its phase the same way as the echo signal, it can not be subtracted using the method of alternated pairs. As a result, this ringing typically corrupts the first one or two echoes in the CPMG sequence, thereby affecting the resolvability of the fast relaxation components in the NMR relaxation spectrum.
A method of eliminating the ringing due to the excitation pulse is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,204,663, issued to Prammer. The method of Prammer '663 is based on changing the measurement frequency between certain pulse sequences and averaging out data points obtained from the different sequences in a way that effectuates cancellation of the spurious signals. Since mechanical resonance producing an acoustic ringing occurs at its own frequency, the ringing signal will change its phase with respect to the changed NMR signal. If the frequency change is made equal to one-half of the time between excitation pulse and acquisition, an additional phase difference of 180 degrees between ringing signals in two sequences can be achieved. Then, adding the signals from the two measurements eliminates ringing from the excitation pulse. A drawback of this approach is that the width of the acquisition window may be comparable with TE, so the ringing subtraction can not be achieved over the entire echo acquisition window. The method of Prammer '663 is difficult to implement if there is a substantial excitation pulse ringing signal in the second echo acquisition window.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,541,969 B2, issued to Sigal et al., discusses a method and system for improving the resolution of bore hole NMR logging measurements and for suppressing artifacts in NMR data obtained from logging measurements. In a preferred embodiment, the NMR pulse echo trains are CPMG spin echo trains. Further, non-formation signal contribution is estimated from two or more of the plurality of CPMG spin echo trains, preferably using one or more phase-alternated pair(s) of CPMG spin echo trains. In a specific implementation to PAPs are used that are formed by a current CPMG spin echo train (CPMG0) and an immediately preceding (CPMG−1) and an immediately following (CPMG+1) phase alternated CPMG spin echo trains. In another embodiment, non-formation signal contribution is estimated using a separate NMR pulse echo train, which preferably is a CPMG spin echo train without an initial π/2 (excitation) pulse.
Another problem of the PAP approach as applied to NMR with logging arises from the inherent delay between sequences in the alternated pairs. Since the NMR device moves through the borehole during this delay, the echoes from the CPMG sequence can be measured in two environments having two different conductivities. Thus, the antenna response to the signal generated by magneto-acoustic effects can be different between the first and second obtained signal, and the ringing subtraction can become inaccurate as a result.
A technique addressing this problem is described in EP 0967490 A2, issued to Sun et al. Rather than employing PAPs, the method obtains a main signal comprising spin echo signals and undesired effects and then subtracts a signal from a second time period having only the undesired effects. Following the main part of the CPMG pulse sequence comprising echo signal, ringing and DC offset, the spin echoes are eliminated by using, for example, a missing 180° pull technique. The continuation of the allows for acquiring the ringing and DC offset only. The ringing and DC offset acquired during the second part of the sequence is averaged and then subtracted from the signal acquired during the main part. One drawback to this technique is that it consumes a substantial amount of DC power, and power consumption is critical for NMR well logging. Another drawback is related to the procedure employed for averaging the ringing signal, which operates using the assumption that the ringing signal repeat itself from echo to echo. This is not typically the case. Thus, the calculated average signal may not represent the ringing signal in a few first echo acquisition windows
There is a need to develop a method that reduces the effect of magneto-acoustic ringing in NMR experiments in a manner that minimally extends power consumption and can be operated in a region that sufficiently approximates the region in which signal detection occurs. The method of this invention addresses those needs.